1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a motorcycle with a turbocharger and associated components and more particularly to the advantageous arrangement of said components in the confined spaces of a motorcycle with a V type engine.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
It is known in the art, that increasing the airflow to an internal combustion engine will supply an increase in power output. Of the means to achieve this, using a turbo supercharger, or turbocharger as commonly referred to, is an effective technique to attain this increase in airflow. A turbocharger is a device which uses the high velocity, rapidly expanding hot exhaust gases exiting an internal combustion engine, generating supercharged air into the engine induction. A turbocharger consists of a turbine and compressor, each of which has a wheel on a common shaft. As the exhaust gases exit an internal combustion engine, said exhaust gases then enter the turbine side of the turbocharger. This energy is used to rotate the turbine wheel, which in turn, rotates the compressor wheel. The compressor side of the turbocharger takes in ambient air and compresses it while sending it to the intake side of the engine, thus achieving a higher density air charge per intake revolution of an internal combustion engine. This higher density air, combined with additional fuel to achieve the correct air to fuel ratio, enables the engine to produce more power than a naturally aspirated engine.
One of the critical issues with applying a turbocharger to a motorcycle with a V-type (V-twin as commonly found in cruiser type motorcycles, although multiples of 2, e.g. 4, 6, 8 are possible) engine, is the lack of space surrounding the engine.
The present invention applies to motorcycles with V-type engines with the axis of the crankshaft in the lateral vehicle direction. This lateral crankshaft configuration is commonly found in Harley Davidson®, Victory®, and numerous other cruiser type motorcycles. Earlier patents have been applied to motorcycles with V-type engines with the axis of the crankshaft in the longitudinal direction. Two such patents are U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,085 to Inoue, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,773 to Inoue, et al. discloses a configuration with a V-twin engine with crankshaft axis in the longitudinal direction, and the turbocharger positioned laterally of the engine (forward vehicle direction), centered between the V arranged cylinders. Such a configuration works well with the V-twin engine oriented in above said manner, but would not work well with a V-type engine with crankshaft axis in the lateral direction for the reason that the turbocharger would be positioned to the lateral side of the engine, in the area of the riders legs, posing hazard to the rider as a result of the immense heat produced by the turbocharger in excess of 1600° F.
U.S. Pat. No. US 20070151788A1 to Runolfson, et al. discloses a motorcycle having a turbocharger positioned above the rear wheel; below the rear fender/seat. This application is intended for use in the sportbike motorcycle category, in which there is sufficient space for said configuration. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient space for said configuration in a cruiser type motorcycle, for the reason that the layout differs in that the rear fender commonly sits much closer to the rear wheel, as opposed to a sportbike configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,189 to Minami, et al. discloses a motorcycle having a turbocharger positioned behind the engine, between the engine and rear wheel. In this configuration, the exhaust exits the engine towards the front of the motorcycle. The exhaust pipes route down the front of the engine, then below the engine towards the rear of the motorcycle, then upward behind the engine to the turbocharger, located between the engine and the rear wheel. This configuration would not work with cruiser type motorcycles with a V-type engine because of the confines in the above specified area of the motorcycle.